Refrigerating system having a detachable unit



Oct. 17, 1950 s, s, CORHANIDIS 2,525,868

asrarcm'rms svs'mu HAVING A DETACHABLE UNIT Filed Nov. 1'7, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 61-5. Corfian z'dza,

3 Sheets-Sheei 2 V s. s. CORHANIDIS nsm'icmnuc SYSTEM HAVING A DETACHABLE unrr Ffld Nov. 1?. i948 Oct. 17', 1950 4 Z 9 9 Z G 1 Oct. 17, 1950 5, s, 0RHAN|D|$ 2,525,868

REFBIGERATING SYSTEM HAVING A DETACHABIE UNIT 51 S. Cgw/zani'cizls,

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 REFRIGERATING SYSTEM HAVING A DETACHABLE UNIT Sebastien S. Corhanidis, Athens, Greece Application November 17, 1948, Serial N 0. 60,441

This invention relates to refrigerating systems of the type disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 32,480, filed June 11, 1948, now Patent No. 2,489,009, granted November 22, 1949, for Refrigerating System, wherein one or more refrigerator chambers may be maintained within a predetermined range of low temperatures by a single detachable refrigerating unit which is readily adaptable to provide regulated freezing or cooling temperatures in any insulated box or chamber to which it is applied, the refrigerating unit being instantly detachable at will without leaving any opening in the insulation enclosing said chamber. As described in my co-pending application, this refrigerating unit may serve as the sole supply of cooling or freezing means for the refrigerator chambers to which it may be applied, or as an auxiliary for supplying additional cooling means to an overloaded refrigerator chamber, or when additional quick freezing or cooling is desired.

The object of the present invention is to build a compact and complete refrigerating unit and means for adapting it for quick selective application to any one of a number of refrigerator chambers.

A further object is to arrange the parts of the above refrigerating unit so as to form a compact, rugged, but smooth box-like assembly having adjacent inlet and outlet ports in one side, and to provide a frame with matching outlet and inlet ports for installation in a suitable portion of a side wall of a refrigerator chamber, said frame having hanger loops, and complementary hanger hooks on said assembly to hang it instantly over the ports in said frame, so as to form continuous ducts for withdrawing air from said refrigerator chamber and returning it thereto after it had been cooled by the refrigerating unit.

A further object is to provide resiliently operated closure means for the ports in the frame to normally keep the ports closed, a door in the wall of the refrigerating unit, a port in said frame between said ducts with closure means normally resiliently operated to open position, and means responsive to the closing of said door, when said refrigerating unit is hung in place, for operating said first closure means into open position and said second closure means into closed position against the resilient bias, whereby the ducts are open for normal operation whenever the refrigerating unit is applied to the refrigerator chamber and its door is closed; and when its door is opened, as for defrosting, the ambient air admitted through the open door is circulated by the blower of the refrigerating unit through the port between Claims. (Cl. 62-429) said ducts instead of through the refrigerator chamber; and then through the freezer coils into the atmosphere through the open door for quick defrosting, while the refrigerator chamber is closed off.

A further object is to provide common operating connections for the closure means, which may be in the form of shutters, having a slideable abutment extending axially of said inlet and outlet ports, and an axially slideable rod in said refrigerating unit connected by a hinged link to a pivot on the door and aligned with said abutment for cooperation therewith in the manner prescribed above.

A further object is to provide a modification of the closure means and ports, by having additional closure means for the inletand outlet ports ports in the frame are closed.

A further object, in both of the above described modifications, is to provide a cut-off switch con-..

invention applied toa refrigerator chamber wall,

shown partly *insection.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same form with the door to the refrigerating unit opened for defrosting.

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of another form of the invention, showin the door to the refrigerating unit in closed and opened positions respectively.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a part of the closure means and the operating rod connections to the door shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar viewof a portionof the 3 closure means and connections shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In one form of the device, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the refrigerating unit comprises a freezing unit enclosed by an insulated wall l having a door 2 in one corner thereof, hinged at 3 and havin a link A pivotally connected thereto as at 5. The other end of the link 4 is pivotally connected to one end of a rod ii for sliding the rod horizontally in guides l mounted in the refrigerating unit when the door is opened and closed.

The lower portion of the refrigerating unit is not insulated but contains the essential motor compressor unit, cooling coils and fan for the refrigerant (not shown), and the motor 8 for the blower 9 driven by a shaft it passing through the bottom insulated wall of the refrigerating chamber. The arrangement of parts in the lower portion of the refrigerating unit may be similar to that disclosed in my co-pendin application, or any other suitable arrangement.

The side of wall i opposite the door 2 has an inlet port if at the top and an outlet port is below, to match with outlet and inlet ports l3 and M, respectively, of the frame 15, mounted in a corresponding opening it made in the side wall ll of the refrigerator chamber 18, when the refrigerating unit is hung over said frame by means of hooks if! on the refrigerating unit slipped into hanger hooks 23 on the frame I5, so that the unit will exert a pressure on the resilient strip 2! which is mounted on the frame l around the ports l3 and M, thus securing an air tight seal for the conduits formed by the matching ports between the refrigerator chamber and the refrigerating unit.

These conduits provide for the passage of the air from the refrigerator chamber it through the ports is and H into the upper portion of the refrigerating unit where the cooling coils 22 are located, through the spaces around these coils and out of the lower portion of the cooling unit through the ports 52 and it back into the refrigerator chamber. A partition 2 in the upper cooling unit is partly formed by the drip pan 23 under the cooling coils which drains through tube 25 into an evaporating pan (not shown) in the lower part of the refrigerating unit. The partition 2 1 has an opening 26 ad-- jacent the open end of the centrifugal blower 9 which draws air from the refrigeration chamber l8 over the cooling coils 22 in the cooling unit for return to said refrigerator chamber is after it has been cooled.

It will be observed that the frame i5 is provided with a port Zl connecting the upper and lower ports !3 and i l. This port 2? as well as the internal ends of ports l3 and M are provided with shutters 23, 29 and 33, respectively, all interconnected for simultaneous operation by a sliding rod Si in the guides 32, which are located in line with guides l in the cooling unit,

when the latter is hung in position on the hanger loops 20. Rod 3i is biased outwardly. by spring 253, to normally keep shutters 28 open and shutters 29 and as closed. In this position, the outer end of rod 3i just abuts the end of rod 6, when door 2 is open. However, whendoor 2 is closed, rod 6 moves rod 3! inwardly to a position which closes shutters 28 and opens shutters 29 and .39.,

Thus, when the refrigeratin unit is applied to the refrigerator chamber and as long as the inspection door 2 is kept closed, a circulation of air .is established through the open ports l3 and 14 for providing the desired cooling or refrigeration. Should the inspection door 2 be opened for defrosting or any other purpose, shutters 29 and 38 close off the refrigerator chamber l8, and shutters 28 open to provide a circulation of warm air from the outside entering the open door 2 through the blower, the lower portion of of the cooling unit, the port 27, the upper portion of the cooling unit around the cooling coils back through the open door out of the unit, to provide quick defrosting. An electric switch 34 having an operating lever 35 may be connected for operation to the rod ii so as to be turned on when door 2 is closed, and turned off when the door is opened for the purpose of controlling the operation of the motor compressor and fan.

A manually operated switch (not shown) may be placed in series in the same circuit with switch 34 for manual operation, when the refrigerating unit is removed from the hooks for defrosting. The door 2 in this case is maintained closed so as to provide a continuous passage for the warm air .entering port ll, passing around the cooling coils, through the blower and out through the lower portion of the refrigerating unit and port 12.

In the form of the device illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, the port 2'! in frame E5 and shutters are omitted, and the cooling unit is provided with port 2'! and shutters 28 in its partition adjacent the ports H and f2, and these ports are provided with shutters 2t" and 3E. Shutters 23, 2e and 30 are connected to rod 6 for simultaneous operation in accordance with the movement of door 2 into open or closed position, When door 2 is closed, as in normal f eezing operation, shutters 28 are closed and shutters and 30 are open, as also are shutters 29 and 25, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. When door 2 is open, shutters 28 are open and the rest of shutters are closed, as shown in Fig. 4, for de r sting purposes. In this form, no switch for the motor compressor and fan is needed, for defrostin with the refr gerating unit removed from the hanger loops, since ports ii and 52 are closed by the shutters 29 and open port 21 is provided to com lete the circulation path for the warm air admitted through the open door 2 and blown through and around the cooling coils before being exhausted back to the atmosphere through the open door, in the way as with the refrigerating unit left in hanging position on the hanger loops 2d, since door 2 is left open and keeps the switch 34 in off position for defrosting even when the refrigerating unit is removed from the refrigerator chamber wall.

Figs. 5 and 6 show the construction of the interconnections between the shutters of each group and the operating rods, on an enlarged scale. It will be noticed that the connections to the rods 8 and Si comprise pins in the rods sliding in slots in pivoted levers to allow the axial sliding movement of the rods while the levers turn angularly about their pivots to operate the shutters.

Many obvious modifications may be made in the details and arrangement of parts of the devices disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerating'system for refrigerator or cooler chamber, comprising a frame for installation in an opening in the side wall of the refrigerator or cooler chamber, said frame having an outlet port and a return port for the air in said chamber, a closure means for each of said parts normally held resiliently in their closed position, a refrigerating unit adapted for hanging over said ports and means forming a part of said refrigerating unit and coacting with said closure means for automatically opening said closure means to provide refrigeration or cooling there! through.

2. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame is provided with hanger loops at the top, and said unit is provided with hooks to provide means for hanging said unit over said ports, there being a resilient strip on said frame around said ports to make an air-tight joint by the weight of the unit hanging from the hooks providing a pressure force component thereof normal to the side of said chamber.

3. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 2, wherein said refrigerating unit includes a coolingunit in its upper portion with an insulated wall having inlet and outlet ports matching said outlet and return ports, respectively, of said frame, for withdrawing a stream of air from the chamber to be cooled and returned thereto.

4. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 3, wherein said cooling unit comprises an upper,

portion separated by a partition from a lower portion, said upper portion connected to its inlet port and said lower portion connected to its outlet port, a freezing or cooling coil in said upper portion adjacent said inlet port, said partltion having an opening near its other end connecting said portions, and a centrifugal blower in said lower portion having its open center in registry with said opening and discharging into said lower portion, to provide the desired circulation of the air through the cooling unit and cooling of the air as it passes around the cooling coils.

5. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 4, wherein said blower is operated by a shaft passing through said insulated wall from a motor mounted in said refrigerating unit below said wall.

6. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 53, a door in the upper portion of said cooling unit adjacent said opening, and a slideable control rod connected for operation by opening said door to release said closure means into normal closed position to close off said chamber from the outside atmosphere entering said open door.

7. A refrigerator system as defined in claim 6, said closure means being at the inner ends of said outlet and return ports, a port in said frame between said outlet and return ports and closure means therefor having connections for operating it simultaneously with the other closure means so as to normally keep it open when the others are closed and vice versa, whereby to furnish a by-pass for the circulation of warm air from the lower portion of the cooling unit to the upper portion and around said cooling coils out through said open door for quick defrosting when said door is opened, and for causing circulation for cooling of the air from thechamber through said cooling unit when said door is closed.

8. Arefrigerating system as defined in claim 7, and a switch connected for operation bylsaid control rod to cut off the motor compressor and fan for cooling the refrigerant normally used during refrigeration, when said door is open.

9. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 6, a closure means in said inlet and outlet ports of said cooling unit, a port in said partition between said upper and lower portions of said freezing unit adjacent said closures, said last named port having closure means, all said closure means in said cooling unit having connect-ions to said control rod for simultaneous operation so as to close said closure means in said last named port and open said other closures in said cooling unit when said door is closed to complete the circulating passage through said cooling unit when the door is closed for cooling the air taken from said chamber, and to by-pass the warm l air taken in from the atmosphere from said lower portion to the upper portion for quick defrosting when said door is open regardless of whether the refrigerating unit is hung in place over said frame or removed therefrom, while the inlet and outlet ports are closed off by their respective closure means and the chamber is closed off by the closure means in the outlet and return ports in said frame.

1 0. A refrigerating system as defined in claim 9, a motor compressor and fan for compressing and cooling the refrigerant mounted in the lower part of said refrigerating unit, and a switch in said cooling unit connected for operation by said control rod to cut off said motor compressor and fan when said door is open.

SEBASTIEN S. CORHANIDIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in' the Brouse Apr. 12, 1949 

